Smell of wet sands – Srijit Mukherjee

A classic expression that is visible on every Indian’s faceduring the hot and tiring summer months could be easily translated to-

”Ufff!! When will the blasted monsoons set in? It’s practically impossible to put an end to this complaint- right from April till mid July- when the monsoons finally set in. Even a delay of a few days is pretty frustrating. I, myself have experienced two extreme summers. Well they have
been agonising and very painful. One was a hot, dry and a dusty summer in Rajasthan,and the other was in Kolkata. The only place you can seek refuge in Kolkata would be an air conditioned room-no fan can soothe you. Though both the summers were equally uncomfortable and there’s no comparison whatsoever.We find the same blank expression on every person who is familiar with onset of rains…. Well speaking of summers, it’s not a bad season by any means…Lovely fruits (especially Mangoes and Watermelons) , a beautiful late sunset and how can I
forget ice cream, juice and all other cold snacks and desserts for which we crave year round. Yet there’s a smile worth seeing on every one’s face when we hear of the monsoon breaking in.Well that’s a very warm welcome to the monsoon from every Indian …

When we have the first spray of showers in this beautifulland of ours…It’s a feeling that no person can describe. The view is so vivid that it cannot be admired at once. The horizons become closer and nearer owing to the mighty rains and mists. The greenery spreads as if touched by the elixir of life. The creaking and croaking of the insects and frogs resumes, and it’s something neither Beethoven nor Mozart could compose- an unsynchronized symphony…The life on this planet takesa massive swerve. Birds chirp in joy singing songs which we cannot comprehend, yet listen to in awe. For farmers, it’s more than their life to see tiny green leaflets burst open from the brown soil. Oh, the sound of the raindrops!
Almost everyone, except the urban population perhaps, isgreatly touched by the monsoons. But do we, the so called “city dwellers” even care about it? For us it’s just a season to that would be reported in the news. We are least bothered to even appreciate this phenomenon… We are also the greatest fraction of the population to curse this magical phenomenon. Our expressions go somewhat like this ”Oh god!! So sticky! So Dirty! So muddy! Such a mess! God this muck is killing me.” Actually this is not our fault. We actually haven’t been trained to look beyond the mud pools and potholes during rains. All we see is mud, muck . We are born and brought up amidst concrete walls. Hardly do we get a chance to get drenched. Even when we do, it’s just abuses and curses for the monsoons. How many of us have indeed taken a walk with our dear ones in the slight drizzle with the breeze brushing by our cheeks and giving us the hug that no person can give? It’s like an invisible spirit just tickling us making us smile in happiness. Do we ever let the raindrops sprinkle our faces with the holy waters of the sky and awaken us from the mad unrealistic world of materialism and make us wander off into the lap of heaven? Do we ever allow ourselves to stand on the terrace, with our eyes closed and enjoy the reconstructed view of the world as we dream it to be?If you ask yourself most of these questions the only answer you’ll come up with is “No”.This lovely season is to be cherished and not to be wasted. It’s high time that we start realising what this season has to offer. Our subcontinent is a unique one. No other place on earth experiences such a wonderful phenomenon which soothes the mind and soul to such an extent. Rainfall is natural, but this rainfall is special. The misery of the scorching summers are put to an end by the monsoons. With various environmental hazards setting in and the rapid changes in the global climatic conditions the monsoons might be a luxury that we might have to forego in the near future.So I think it’s high time we realize that the ”Sweet Smell Of the Wet Sand” is after all not everlasting….. A message from Srijit ….”